LR Tuesday 13/12

[blargfromouterspace]

Yeah, that's how we write the date. No complaining.

Lunch today was some leftover saltimbocca with spaghetti, tomato and oregano sauce with a mix of parmesan and pecorino cheese sprinkled on the top. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it.

G&L - Cases.
Baggage handlers at the airport recently destroyed the case for my ‘97 classic. Here’s a photo.


I suspect it was dropped from a height and run over by some vehicle. The guitar inside suffered only superficial damage. Thanks to the G&L online store’s ludicrous international shipping charges, the quote for a G&L replacement case was a whopping $550, of which the airline have agreed to pay $300, easily enough for a non-G&L branded replacement - everything has an upside! The band will be flying around the country a bit next year and I’m in two minds whether to get a proper flight case made up or going for something similar to the hard-shell case which performed its job of protecting the guitar admirably. The drawbacks of the flight case are the increased weight (meaning excess baggage costs), and the high initial outlay. If I go for an SKB or Hiscox case the risk of damage to the instrument is slightly increased.

What would you do?

Home made stuff
Tomorrow I will be making sauerkraut. I haven’t done it before but have wanted to for a long time – good sauerkraut is difficult to come by on my side of the city. I used to make beer at home, and have made wine too. It’s good fun and cheap, once you get all the tools. I’d love to get a still to make moonshine…
Any home produced foods at your place?

Perpetual Earworm
Lambada. If you’ve ever seen someone playing the panpipes at a market, you’ve heard this song. When I was really young we had some Chilean friends who always had music on in their house. This reminds me of those times. Many years later I was watching a documentary on Carlos the Jackal and they had footage of him at a party dancing to this song – even mass murderers like to let their hair down!

[youtube]i8mz9uOvFQA[/youtube]

[Philby]

Hi Jamie,

Cases: I'd buy an SKB or similar then do a little creative relic'ing to make it look roadworn. In the same way that birds only crap on freshly cleaned cars I have a theory that baggage handlers only destroy luggage/cargo that looks too new. I had a shiny new suitcase crushed by Qantas baggage handlers on its first flight 5 years ago. Rather than buy another new one, I went back to using a well worn old one and it has not attracted any abuse so far.

I really wish someone at G&L would fix up the web shop for us international customers. The shipping prices are plainly ridiculous.

Home Made Stuff: I make ice cream at home and also preserve olives from the tree out the front. Never tried olive ice cream though. I hope to start making my own bread once I find some good books on the subject and research some bread making machines.

[blargfromouterspace]

In the same way that birds only crap on freshly cleaned cars I have a theory that baggage handlers only destroy luggage/cargo that looks too new.

I hope to start making my own bread once I find some good books on the subject and research some bread making machines.

Good theory.

Here's a good bread making machine. I'd love one of these.

[meowmix]

Hi Jamie,

G&L cases: I don't know. It will be interesting to hear what other people say.

G&L shipping isn't that cheap, and I live 2 hours away. But where else can I go?


Home made stuff: I make homemade spices enough to last 6 months. I bought a book on spices, pick what I think is interesting, order from frontier herbs, and mix all ingredients together. The batch I made recently, has about 20 different spices mixed in one, but the taste will give that extra kick. Good stuff on the cheap.

[Michael-GnL-Michael]

.

If I traveled with gear I'd get shipping cases. The cases that come with G&L guitars are really not meant for shipping. I don't mean a crate or anything. I guess everyone knows there are cases for transporting in your car, a rental van or tour bus. Then there are cases you entrust to shippers including UPS, FedEx and airlines......if you are a musician, your instrument is as important as an accompanying passenger......right? It might cost that much to bring along.

Homemade: I have experimented with breads and perfected a few recipes. I make a very good bagel. But I often skip the boiling step and just bake a loaf of bagel bread. It has such great flavor and toasts well. It really is best to include the boiling step as it makes the crust so much more interesting and flavorful. I am out of business for the time being as I burned out the bread machine. I go through phases. I may never make it again..........who knows?

Jamie do you eat Vegemite?

.

[Ahryn]

G&L Cases. I would just get a flight case, the money that the airport payed out should take some sting out of the initial cost and any excess baggage costs should be far less then any possible repair costs if the worst was to happen.

Home made stuff. I don't really make as much home made food as I would like, what I do is usually little touches while I make the usual like adding a little extra spice or mixing Tabasco with potato salad... that sort of thing.

[blargfromouterspace]

Jamie do you eat Vegemite?

Of course!

[gitman001]

Hey Jamie,

That seems like a crazy amount of money to spend on a case..... If you are going with one from G & L you might as well have them stick an SC-2 in the case for you!!!!! I don't see the point of shipping an empty case!

When i first went to school i bought a flight case to take my main guitar back and forth. It was an SKB, it worked well but the thing is a monster - it is huge. I think if i flew with guitars i would certainly use it. Or i would travel with a guitar that i was not super attached to just in case.

We make a lot of stuff at home - Ice cream, sauces etc.. i would like to try making wine some day.

These early reports are great, gives me a chance to answer before work..... have a great day

Scott

[sam]

Hey Jamie,

Crazy money for a case for sure Maybe take the $300 and look for a used G&L case online or just go with some other case. Agree with the flight case suggestion if flying with it. This reminds me of the United breaks guitars parody a while back, very funny.

[youtube]5YGc4zOqozo[/youtube]

[youtube]h-UoERHaSQg[/youtube]

[youtube]P45E0uGVyeg[/youtube]

We make a couple of things round the house, i.e. wine (wide variety), salsa and ice cream. Been making wine for a number of years, my wife learned from her grandfather. You are correct, once you get over the equipment expense you can make wine at a pretty low dollar per bottle cost. The summer garden lends to more making in the summer.

[Dave_P]

I'd go with the flight case, the damage money should cover most, if not all, of the cost (shipping aside anyway). Your guitar might not be so lucky next time.

I used to make beer and mead pretty regularly but haven't done so in years. Also tried making wine once but I somehow messed it up and ended up with 3 gallons of vinegar. I generally enjoy cooking/making up my own recipes and make most baked goods from scratch as well.

No lunch yet but I woke up to the smell of fresh waffles! by the time I got to the kitchen there wasn't any batter left

-Dave

[sirmyghin]

Jamie, I would be buying a flight case in a heartbeat if you are travelling around. Sorry to hear they scuffed your finish some!

[sickbutnottired]

Jamie, glad to see you on LR duty. I dig the way you do it in Melbourne!

Case? I vote for a flight case, if you are like me and guitars develop personality and become kinda hard to replace over time. Or, what about a good gig bag and carry it on? You will have to cuddle with it on the flight a lot of the time, which is annoying. But in US, flying is annoying so what the heck.

Homemade stuff? I make dill pickles and sour kraut. As I get better at gardening I am fooling with preserving more things. I bake bread, but very little pastry. My wife threw my starter out about a year ago, and I haven't gotten a new one going; It's kinda frustrating to work on a starter for a couple years and then poof--gone. I cook like crazy, and am a little bit good at it I think!

My brother and his wife make wine out of every darn thing. Sometimes it is pretty good.....and it always has a kick.

[darwinohm]

Jamie, I just had a great ham sandwich with chips.

Guitar case. I would go with a good flight case. The airlines are good at destroying things but having received a lot of shipments while at my last profession, Boxes delivered from UPS often looked as though they had been used as a football. A good flight case will save the instrument.

Ginny has made a lot of homemade things. She does bake bread in a bread machine but not much as we are empty nesters. My specialty is beef jerky. I prepare it and have a dehydrator the I dry it in. It is tasty but probably will not win any awards for being a health food.

We had a request last weekend for Sleepwalk. I know it is one of Kits faves but the song has been popping into my mind the last couple of days along with Buckaroo.

Interesting LRs Jamie. --Darwin

[Kit]

A few years ago I bought a used L-2000 which came in the original G&L case. The bass was in excellent condition but the case was a bit beat up. On the bottom around the area of the metal buttons the case was bashed in so the plastic is just partially attached to the case. Since this bass has only left the house a few times I never bothered to try to repair or replace the case.

I have never taken any of my guitars on a plane so I have never had the misfortune you had.

I recognize the Lambada melody, but did not know that's the name of the song. Many years ago I run into a Chilean band downtown playing exactly this kind of music. It was a sunny early summer day and the music was just so perfect that I bought one of their CDs. Come to think of it, I haven't seen this CD in a long while. Since we moved 7 years ago it is possible that the CD is still sitting in a box somewhere. It is also possible that it is sitting somewhere in the open since I'm not very well organized with my music collection.

Lambada reminds me of some of the downtempo music that I like. I listen to downtempo music a lot while I'm working since it can be just background music to drown out the human noises around me, but if a good piece of music pops up then I sit up and pay attention. One of my favorites is Thievery Corporation which incorporates a lot of different influences into their music but manage to stay very mainstream.

[youtube]zYEwQlj4BWg[/youtube]

[youtube]G5_rEGhQpIo[/youtube]

Kit

[repoman]

Cases: If you're going to be traveling I vote for the flight case. Why risk the damage. And you've got a few bucks from the airline to put towards the cost.

Home Goods: I used to do a lot of beer brewing and some ice cream making but haven't done either in a few years. Man that home made strawberry ice cream was good! Sold off my beer making supplies on craigslist a couple of years ago. I helped my brother make a huge batch of soppressata ( a dried salami/pepperoni type of meat) couple of years ago. That's normally not something I eat but it did come out pretty good. Still like to make a loaf of bread every now and then.

Jeff

[louis cyfer]

Jamie, glad to see you on LR duty. I dig the way you do it in Melbourne!

Case? I vote for a flight case, if you are like me and guitars develop personality and become kinda hard to replace over time. Or, what about a good gig bag and carry it on? You will have to cuddle with it on the flight a lot of the time, which is annoying. But in US, flying is annoying so what the heck.

Homemade stuff? I make dill pickles and sour kraut. As I get better at gardening I am fooling with preserving more things. I bake bread, but very little pastry. My wife threw my starter out about a year ago, and I haven't gotten a new one going; It's kinda frustrating to work on a starter for a couple years and then poof--gone. I cook like crazy, and am a little bit good at it I think!

My brother and his wife make wine out of every darn thing. Sometimes it is pretty good.....and it always has a kick.

ines won't let the gig bag as a carry on, against56 the rules to have it in between your legs. has to fit in the overhead or under the seat. putting some steel inserts in the neck and popping the neck off and fitting the guitar in a small case is the way to take it as a carry on. if you are only taking one guitar, that is the way.
i am blown away that someone would risk their guitar on a flight with the stock case. you got very lucky. if the guitar got destroyed, they still would have only payed for the case, they'll claim the case was not good enough to protect it, and will not pay for the guitar. seen that many times.

[suave eddie]

Traveling with guitars has been discussed at length on the TDPRI forum.

Check out some of these links: http://www.tdpri.com/forum/search.php?searchid=5438927

Many times the airlines will allow your instrument as a "carry on" but if you read some of the above stories many people have been assured before hand by phone that this would be allowed only to find that they are forced to check the guitar at the gate. There seems to be no consistent enforcement of these rules.

Here is a link to Delta Airlines rules for traveling with instruments: http://www.delta.com/traveling_checkin/ ... /index.jsp

More interesting reading: http://www.gearwire.com/travel-with-instruments.html

Here is an interesting letter from TSA to the Musicians Union: http://www.local802afm.org/about/TSALetter.pdf

The TSA policy only covers procedures at the security checkpoint, and does not apply to restrictions imposed by individual airlines. TSA will screen one musical instrument per passenger. However, even though TSA allows the instrument to pass through the screening checkpoint, passengers may still be prevented from bringing the instrument onboard an aircraft by airline representatives as they each impose their own restrictions. These restrictions vary from airline to airline, so we recommend that musicians check with their individual air carrier prior to arrival at the airport to ascertain specific restrictions that will be enforced by the air carrier at the boarding gate.

It seems like the ultimate safest method if you can afford it is to buy a seat for your instrument.

On another note re:

Yeah, that's how we write the date. No complaining.

In the U.S. it is extremely rare to find the date formatted in any other way than Month/Day/Year. When I was filling out my Canadian immigration application, I got almost all the way through before I realized that EVERY blank that required a date entry was completed wrong.

[blargfromouterspace]

That seems like a crazy amount of money to spend on a case..... If you are going with one from G & L you might as well have them stick an SC-2 in the case for you!!!!

I won't be spending $550 on a G&L case! No way. It was helpful that the quote was so high because they never reimburse the full amount you claim.

Lots of support (pun intended) for the flight case. Despite that I'm leaning towards the Hiscox - check out the video HERE. Lightweight and hammer resisitant...

[KenC]

I'd go with a flight case.

My wife does most of the cooking (more as a hobby than a chore), and tends to get impatient with me in the kitchen. I have made a few batches of hot sauce when I've had uninterrupted time in the kitchen. I enjoy making it and eating it, but there's no way I could ever go through even the smallest practical batches before it goes bad.

Homemade food nightmares: When I worked for the CDC I received copies of a weekly summary of outbreak investigations called the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). The first issue I saw included a report on an increase in food borne illnesses among Alaskan Natives. It turned out to be related to a cultural tradition of fur trappers fermenting the tails and feet of beavers they caught. Traditionally this had been done in clay pots buried in the ground, but Tupperware had just become widely available in the remote areas and people were beginning to ferment their beaver parts in sealed containers in their closets. Apparently something about the air-tight containers or the higher indoor temperatures caused an increase in bacterial contamination compared to the old methods. I'm not sure how relevant this is to the LR topic, but I always think about this when people offer me anything they've fermented at home (not that I get too many offers of this nature).

Ken

[zapcosongs]

Hi Jamie. Nice week you have going here!

Can't really help you with the flight case issue. I used to travel with my acoustic in it's hard case - but that was in a byegone day when one could bring one's instrument onto the plane and stash it in a closet during the flight. These days, I think I would consider shipping my instrument ahead of me instead of putting in in the belly of a plane by folks who don't give a damn.

I LOVED the Lambada video. Since we're all friends here, I'll confess that I found it unexpectedly arousing. The featured young chap is one lucky fellow. Let's just leave it at that. But the music just sort of flows, and I couldn't help myself from smiling....

Regarding your lunch, who the heck makes the saltimbocca in your household? I'm guessing it's not a native dish for you, nor easy to prepare. I did look it up though, and as a result, your LR had me drooling - more than once! ;+)

What the heck was I saying? - ed

[blargfromouterspace]

I LOVED the Lambada video. Since we're all friends here, I'll confess that I found it unexpectedly arousing.

Regarding your lunch, who the heck makes the saltimbocca in your household?

I confess that I wish the accordionist in the tiger print bathing costume had more screen time.

I make the salitmbocca. I had it once at an Italian friends house where it was made by his grandmother. Mine had nothing on hers.